We're open every week starting tonight!

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The Market is now open for ordering for the week. From now on, we won’t close the first week of the month – we’ll be open all month long.

Mardi Gras is coming up on March 1st, and Farmhouse Bakery is offering a limited number of King Cakes for the occasion. They look amazing!

Also, Bair Trax Dairy now has their certified organic beef (non-GMO, grass-fed, and soy-free) available in 28oz cans. I see an easy vegetable beef soup in my meal plan next week…

Erin

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I’m sending this email out as we wait for the first sled dog teams to arrive in town from Marquette. They were expected earlier, but a blizzard warning last night slowed them down.

And on an entirely different note, we still have some microgreens, romaine, and even kale available to order this week. Grab these fresh greens before they run out!

Erin

God and Farming

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God and farming—ever wonder why most farmers are deeply religious? There are some things about making a living from the land, that contain the themes of belief. First might be the intimate acquaintance with all things living. To see the creation up close through the birth of plants and animals, the hidden power of seeds and soil, sun and rain; in short, the forces and diversity of life and creation are nothing short of awe-inspiring. An accurate description might be that of a numinous experience…the sense of a presence beyond what is visible or comprehensible.

Secondly is a certain feeling of humility in the onward march of seasons, utter powerlessness over weather, and yet a rugged resolve to face all the elements up close and personal, as must be done by simply being outside to do one’s regular work. I’ve always found it interesting that the word humility shares its root meaning with that of the word humus: the part of soil containing all the important components of fertility needed for plant growth…so in humility is strength. This is one of the profound theological truths in the Bible.

And yet, farmers work with the land, with plants, with animals to bring forth a harvest. This is not unlike the scriptural idea of making good use of what we have been given, as taught in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). Of course, this idea applies to all areas of life, regardless of vocation—using our gifts to create something good in the world.

-Caroline McColloch
Chez Nous Farm

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I hope everyone could share some love for Valentine’s Day! I took my daughter out for a cupcake latte at Boston Stoker because she was missing her older sister. Anwen had come home for the weekend from Ohio State and left to go back Monday morning. That’s still so hard!

Amelia will bring the rest of your Girl Scout cookie orders again next week, so place your Virtual Market orders and come get your cookies at the same time!

Happy Valentine’s Day!
Erin

Ordering closes tonight! (and a winter memory...)

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This winter weather just makes me feel like sharing a story. I’ve always loved the snow. I had just turned five during the blizzard of 1978 (I realize I just told my age…) I had a long beautiful pink dress with butterflies appliqued to the front that my mom had made for me because we were going to my favorite uncle’s wedding in Indiana. We had left home but, due to the blizzard, had to stop at a hotel and miss the wedding. I remember being so sad because I had looked forward to the wedding for a long time.

But my dad made snowy weather so fun for my older brother and two younger sisters and me. He made a huge snow couch with us that year, and every day I took a bowl of Lipton soup outside for lunch and ate it on the snow couch until it melted. He always took us to the levy to go sledding if there was any snow at all, and he loved to do donuts in the Hobart parking lot in our big van. (My mom was home making hot chocolate on the stove – otherwise there would have been no parking lot donuts for us!)

Next weekend we’ll be going up north to the U.P. of Michigan for the Sled Dog Races. I can’t wait! They usually have a couple feet of snow on the ground all winter up there. Luckily, if we don’t get enough snow down here, I can always head up north for a good dose of winter weather!

Erin

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Milk's untold story...

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The untold story of milk…is actually a book title, by Dr. Ron Schmid, ND, and worth reading, too. It is basically about the history of pasteurization—a word most are familiar with, but maybe not in much detail. In short, it is the heating of milk to a high temperature for a short time, ostensibly to kill pathogenic bacteria. But the practice did not become mandatory until the 1940s. What brought it about in the first place? During rapid industrialization in the 19th century, people migrated en masse to urban locations, and so did dairies. The so-called “distillery dairies” were right next to whiskey distilleries; spent grains were fed directly to the cows, who stood tied their entire short, miserable lives, eating a rancid, putrid diet. It is no wonder that their milk was as diseased as they were, and many people thus died of milk-borne diseases. In this way, pasteurization was introduced to kill pathogens in milk. The 19th century logic of public health still dominates food regulations today—the gist of which is, that all bacteria are bad and must be eradicated.

Not that food regulations are wholly unjustified, of course, particularly for “factory-farmed” meat, dairy, and any other food that is produced on a mass scale. This production model has many opportunities for actual dangerous pathogens to enter the process.

However, small-scale producers, using traditional methods and natural diets—the term grass-fed has entered the popular lexicon—are comparatively much less likely to be contaminated with harmful bacteria. Furthermore, the great majority of bacteria are not harmful (hence the term probiotic). The nutritional value of unpasteurized milk is far superior, as many other substances are preserved: food enzymes and fat-soluble vitamins, in particular. If you’re interested, talk to Bair-Trax Dairy!

-Caroline McColloch
Chez Nous Farm

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The Market is open for the week!

Thank you for coming out tonight! It was wonderful to see so many of you and have the chance to chat a little bit.

We don’t have quite as many greens available just yet because of the Valentine Market. We’ll try to add more mid-week, and I’ll send out an email letting you know if we do.

On that note, I’m running late with opening the Market so I’ll get right to it!

Erin

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Ordering will be open until tonight!

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We’ll be open until tonight for ordering. Hidden Springs has added more of their bulk ground beef if you were looking for that. There’s plenty of Buehler Farms’ bacon as well.

Remember the Valentine Farmer’s Market on Tuesday! Please tell your friends and anyone else that might be interested. If you’d like to share it on your facebook page or your Nextdoor account, we’d love that!

-Erin

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Health begins with Digestion!

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How do you like this Ohio weather?? It makes me especially thankful for my warm home – a blessing I don’t want to take for granted. Hopefully all the ice will have melted by this coming Tuesday’s Valentine Night Market!

-Erin

Health begins with digestion! Though it’s hard to visualize this…as our bodies are good at running on autopilot, so to speak—especially when we’re young. Consider all the biological functions of the amazing organism in which we live. But when something goes wrong, then the value of the body is suddenly brought into sharp relief.

Regardless of one’s genetic heritage and possible health implications—still a great many lifestyle options present themselves that can make a difference: our food choices, physical activities, and stress management strategies. All these impact long-term health.

Nutrition involves a basic principle. Our gut bacteria outnumber the cells in our bodies by a factor of ten to one!! We need biologically active foods to replenish this so-called gut biome with beneficial bacteria as provided by super-foods such as: sauerkraut, yogurt, sourdough bread, beet kvass, kombucha, raw milk, and any fresh produce or animal protein (e.g., whole food).

Biologically active foods feed the intestinal flora with beneficial bacteria that have a symbiotic relationship with our digestive process. Without them we could not digest our food. Conversely, when we consume “food-like substances” e.g., highly processed products high in sugars and synthetic ingredients (strive to be a label reader!) there is a sort of collision with the body’s immune system, 70 percent of which resides in the gut. Synthetic ingredients provoke a low-grade, inflammatory response over the long term, possibly leading to chronic diseases, especially of the digestive system, such as Crohn’s, inflammatory bowel syndrome, and ulcerative colitis—a few examples among many.

TMI! Yes, that might be too much information. But if it leads to better health, it might be worth seriously considering.

-Caroline McColloch
Chez Nous Farm

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All of our bakers are back after the break, so there are lots of items to choose from, including new donuts and gluten-free pies.

We also have a new product – Lotion Bars, made by new vendor Enright Park. One of the scents is Pain Relief, which contains arnica and menthol, very soothing!

Remember the Valentine Night Market on Tuesday, February 8th from 4pm-7pm. We’ll have your orders ready in that same room, so come ready to shop! Please spread the word and bring your friends!

Erin